Month: August 2007

St. John’s, NL

Yesterday I did the same as what I did the day before.

Today I started by going for tea and buying souvenirs for family.

At 1pm everyone met at Sarah’s to help decorate. Me, Naomi and Amber decorated the house, because that’s where the reception will be– and probably inside according to Ted’s mom because it’s probably going to be wet. I think I’m going to go get some lunch before I go– or brunch or something. I’m hungry now so that’s why I’m organizing my food now.

I played a game with Mia tonight where she was giving me a present and then taking it back. I said “thank you for the present” and then she said “now I have to put it away” and that was the game. We played for one-half hour.

The rest of the day was spent hanging balloons from strings, hanging streamers and using tape.

Me and Naomi went for sushi for dinner. Tomorrow is the wedding. I have to be all ready to go and at the house by 1pm.

I have yet to buy Jordan a present because I was going to get him a moose but I think that’s what I got hime from Finland.

It was raining today but it was also warm, and also windy. The weather here is nutty.

St. John’s

I totally arrived is St. John’s. Sarah and pals picked me up and they took me up Signal Hill then dropped me off here at my Inn. Then I rested. Then I went to find Sarah’s house bue she wasn’t there (and it’s only 3 minutes walking distance from here) so I walked along Duckworth St. and came back here and rested some more. Then I phoned Sarah to make sure she was home, then went to Sarah’s, then me, her, and Ted went for dinner. Then back here to get changed then out to the bachelorette.

It was nice getting here before some of the other wedding guests because I got some time with Sarah alone. She is quite, quite the same, and different.

The bachelorette was an actuall bachelorrete with sexy games and drinking. I took several blurry pictures. I got back around 1:30 am and was pooped and had to clean up the big mess I made while I was getting ready.

Today I got up and went for a walk and got lost in the rain. Then I came back here and *looked at a map* and then found the grocery store. Not good at planning. But during my first try I saw City Hall and Water Street and then some more of Duckworth Street. And then got a little lost and then I was also a little wet. While I was back I let my jacket dry out and rested and then had my second attempt.

At *SOBEYS* I bought organice cookies, soy milk, buns, cereal I may or may not be allergic to since it’s a ‘may contain’ but I had the same kind at home and was ok. I like it. It’s sugary. Mm.

When I got back last night/this morning I was like ‘Yes! One thing down!’ Also, I was looking forward to having it over because I was so tired. It was a good shindig, however; I didn’t know anyone there except for Sarah!

Now I’m resting and just had a call from Sarah; Naomi and Amber are here and napping since they’ve been travelling since last night. They’ll be here for 2 weeks. I’ll meet them later for din-din.

I have BBC World on the TV. I have a T.V. here. It’s a very, very fine room. It’s only 2.5 hours time difference between here and England. Or 3.5.

England will be a very expensive place to visit. I want to take a Jane Austen Tour! Not until I have read all of the books. And also not until I have saved enough money, of course.

On a Plane

I did well this morning, waking up excited at 5:30 so I got early to the airport, then sat down to be served breakfast only to realize that my boarding was in 10 minutes. Am getting way too cozy in airports. I’m sitting by an emergency exit again and cold air leaks through the bottom of the door. My feet are cold! But they’re playing Shrek 3, which I haven’t seen. That’s all that happened today.

Toronto

I am sortof packed. After I wrote yesterday I remembered I should call Sarah and thank goodness I shall have a ride from the airport once I arrive in St. John’s

I am tired. I spent today being tired. That plan I made yesterday to take a short transit trip and go watch movies was a good idea.

Before the movies I did the R.O.M. which was splendid and all, but at one point I was counting my steps, not to waste any, my back and feet were so sore.

On a brighter note, I didn’t buy any shoes today. On another brighter note, I really like Aquafina’s Grape-Flavoured water.

I remembered to buy stamps today and mailed Susan’s thing.

I have a pineapple-orange juice for breakfast tomorrow. Also an assortment of granolla bars and an apple. The plum I will eat tonight.

I am tired. Going to cross things off on my itinerary page.

Toronto *Flashback*

Yesterday I got here ok, just one moment of walking in the opposite direction in downtown Toronto. No problem. I’m staying at New College Residences, U of Toronto and it smells just like all the other residences I’ve lived in, so fine. I’m a little wary of the air conditioner, which doesn’t go off and makes my room a refrigerator. However, there is a wool blanket on the bed. However, the sun shines right in the window in the morning which is pleasant.

But yesterday I arrived here and immediately went for a walk down Spadina to find a grocery store and McDonalds. Instead I walked through an Asian cultural festival. Asian commercial festival, maybe, with the road blocked off for several blocks. Didn’t find a McDonalds until I reached Queen Street so I walked along that for a while. It’s all fashiony there. I debate going back because I might buy more (like shoes). We’ll see what’s up tomorrow, yeah?

I have 2 transit tokens to use up because I bought 5 in bulk this morning. They look like dimes and I keep losing them in my wallet.

There were some nice shoes along Queen Street. I could find a bus that goes there….

Tomorrow I have planned to visit the R.O.M. and the Bata Shoe museum and also to go see the Jane Austen movie– all of which are along Bloor Street and could be walkable, but if I have tokens to use up I could use them to not walk and also then I wouldn’t use them to go buy shoes.

I’ve made a list of things for certain I have to do tomorrow. It reads thus: stamps. Because I am yet to mail S’s post card.

I must write about how gross it is here. It was hot and humid when I left this morning. I think this is what is humid? Like, walking through and breathing in hot air? Like after a bath? Anyway, then it rained. And it doesn’t work like proper rain, washing away the hot and humid and being nice and cooling. Toronto rain is just wettening and sticky. Not refreshing in the least. Then it rained harder and that made it worse.

I can see the reflection of the sunset in the windows of the building across from me.

For supper tonight I ate Burger King because I went looking for sushi or something Asiany but the restaurants I found looked skuzzy or I couldn’t understand the menu. Also I wanted sushi really but I saw one place that was closed today and another place was just a sign. So again with the burger and fries. (Yum, nonetheless.)

Toronto

Cirque du Soleil was awesome. It took me a long time to get home because I took the wrong side of the subway. I walked along Bloor where I mean to go tomorrow. Now I don’t have to go to H&M tomorrow because I already went and bought 2 shirts. And then I perused Club Monaco’s flagship store. I didn’t buy anything there thought because nothing felt “quite right” (to be read as “cheap enough”).

I’m resting my back now before I go find supper. This isn’t my priority usually but it will have to do.

Train

There is the most annoying kind of person sitting in front of me. Loud voice, talking so much, voice projects, nasal laugh, trying to orgainze everybody (there are places reserved behind me for cadets and families were trying to sit there and she was giving them what-for because she had tried to sit her group there and had to move). Now she is leaning her seat back and forth. I hope she shuts up. I’m going to listen to music when we start moving.

Ya. Now I have a table and the family who sat beside me and across the aisle (and up the train a bit) moved. If I didn’t care I should have offered my seat but I just had to stand in a long line and if this rocking continues I will need the window to entertain me for the ride since I am motion sickness.

Ottawa Train Station

Being that I am more antsy than practical I arrived here 2 full hours before my train arrives. I was half-expecting a European-style bustle here and a rush to catch my train. But no. I have instead Canadian-style polite waiting. Also the earliness was due to bus connections. i haven’t been able to make a one since getting here so I wanted to allow time to make up for getting lost/missing busses, etc.

(Shoot. Just remembered I was going to steal some fruit from the B&B. Damn.) (And there’s no food yet for sale at the shop to my right. I can see right inside: empty deli cases.)

The dude who processed my reservation print-out was totally bored. I didn’t laugh or anything as he took my papers (my reservation confirmation that was e-mailed to me was handed over to be replaced with an actual card-stock paper ticket.) All slouching in his suit uniform, elbows on desk in front of him.

(Now there are a couple of Asian girls in the cafe– and I think I see a bottle of milk? I am so sick of food.)

I do not like lugging around both my backpack and suitcase. If it were one or the other it would be better– and preferably the one with wheels. There’s a young woman now with a bigger suitcase than I and 2 other bags. I’m going to see how she deals. I think she just left them all at a table before going into the cafe. I should go steal them.

Now there are people sitting across from me and are probably looking at me. I hate that. I hope they can’t read my mind. Oh. They’re French so they wouldn’t be able to understand me anyway. Oh no! The kid knows both languages and is now laughing at me. Maybe I should move or go get a panini. Paninis make me nervous, though, if the bread is milky. I think that’s what I had at Boston Pizza that time in Vic with Mum, Jordan, Bonnie and Michael? Too many funny words for “sandwich”.

Ottawa

I didn’t go to the museum of civilization today but I did walk all around Parliament Hill. I didn’t go to the M of C because I couldn’t find a bus to take me there. It would have worked better if I had planned (in one of my many plans that go through my head daily and are each the best plan ever…) to take the hop-on hop-off bus tour where you can get off at the various culture exhibitions in town all day long and that take one over to Gatineau. However, any plans involving that were put asunder when I took a plain bus tour last night. Thus is life. I can only really handle a couple of museums a day anyway and I was tired enough today.

Parliament was quite super. I took a guided tour through Parliament and did about half of a self-guided tour of the outside parts of Parliament Hill. The best parts were the cat sanctuary and the summer pavillion; the rest is just statues of dead polititions, who were great and all but a cat sanctuary!

This is the Library of Parliament. I got to go inside during my guided tour. It smelled like books. Not old musty books but brand fresh books. I wanted to roll around so I could smell like that too. Not the biggest library ever, but very pretty. The outside looks like a midget, gothic castle! The inside is all wood since it’s the only building left after the 1916 fire. The rest of Parliament is all rocks now.

I also saw the foyer of the House of Commons (which I write her now with a French accent since the tour guide was French) which is where scrums happen with the press after question period. I also was in the House of Commons which looked just like it does on television, and I saw the cameras. The room is green-green upholstery, green carpet, in appreciation of the greeness of the British Parliament. The Senate is red. My goal now is to be appointed to the Senate. They represent the monarchy in Canada! And probably less work to do than the Governor General.

I bought a t-shirt with the Centre Block on it. It is that nice green I like lately so I figured I must. I will wear it with pride because I very much liked my visit to Parliament Hill.

(I have to buy a Cirque du Soleil shirt so I can wear it to tap class!)

I didn’t go up the Peace Tower (that’s the tower with the clock) because there was a line-up and it’s kinda high.

Next in chronology I went and bought a movie ticket to see “Stardust” and then watched it. Now if anyone asks if I’ve seen “Stardust” I can say “Oh, yes! I saw that when I was in Ottawa!”

(Note there was a space of 45 minutes or so between buying ticket and seeing movie, which is why I wrote it like that. In the interval I bought noodles and fried chicken from a woman who called me “madam” a lot.

Ottawa

Yesterday on the bus from the airport to downtown Ottawa I watched the sun set and it felt *further away*.

Today was the National Art Gallery which was big. I spent the morning (10:30-noontime) on the first floor, then had lunch in their sharp little caf, then strolled about the second floor. All the gallery workers ate lunch at noon. I was them. I had a BLT and a juice and it was cheap and good. For supper I had a hot dog: also good. I went home after the gallery (after a walk through Byward Market; after a walk through Chapters, too, and a mall) and had to lie down and rest my feet. So sore and tired. I napped then walked along Bank St. which is on the tourist map as a neato shopping district but it is kinda crummy. Then walked through Spark St. Open Air mall, which is similarily advertised and is actually neato. Then I bought a ticket to take this tour ! Then I ate aforementioned hotdog from a stand across from the Parliament Buildings. The tour was *rock on* because the bus turned into a boat. It was like my dream come true, let me tell you! I somehow managed to not get any brochures from the National Gallery so there’s no pictures of Renoir that I looked at and sighed and decided that I, too, can be a painted. Not are there any pictures of the 1300s-1800s paintings that make me think why should I even bother trying they are so fine. No pictures of the contemporary Don Judd, Richard Serra sculptures either. Or the guy with the big geometrical drawing that was huge but warm-feeling so that when I stepped close to it I just wanted it to wrap around me like a blanket. No pictures of any thing today because I forgot my camera in my room! Twice. I’m going to remember it tomorrow because I’m going to put it in my bag right now.

On the amphibious bus tour I saw all the good stuff -and- went into Quebec for, like, 15 minutes. I will figure out how to get there again tomorrow so I can go to the museum of civilization, which is in Gatineau. I also saw 24 Sussex and the trees surrounding Rideau Hall and the supreme court; and the embassies of Japan, USA, Kuwait, France. Or high commisions if they were that. I don’t know.

I kept buying magazines to entertain myself: first on the plane (I totally didn’t bring anything to read!) and then because my room doesn’t have a TV like I thought it would. That’s three now that I’ve bought. But since they go pretty quick and I don’t want to buy anymore I’ve bought a book instead. A thick book. It had better last (it will: I also have, like, 2 magazines to finish as well). It’s “Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell” which I haven’t even read yet. So I hope I like it. Another reason is that I buy a mag, finish it, and then am going to just leave it behind so as to not weigh down my baggage which I have to carry. Right? One thickish book; heavyish but a trade paperback at least. It had better last. I won’t start it yet.